Most writers will get their hands slapped over description, whether it’s too much description or too little. Excellent description is a gift to readers. It enables them to enter the world an author has created. Over description clogs a book’s pages with useless words that prevent reader participation in the story resulting in boredom. Distinguish the difference between good description and empty rhetoric that will enable you to avoid over describing.

This is a big deal in narrative fiction. Get the balance of your description wrong, and it could throw off your entire story.

The good news is that once you understand how to examine and execute your descriptions, you will have taken your writing to the next level. Find that midpoint, the balance between prosaic and brevity, evocative yet lean. Description that is just right.

2 Reasons Readers Hate Too Much Description

1. Lengthy descriptions are almost inevitably boring.

2. They’re boring because they do not matter.

Readers are very trusting and obliging people. They will follow you anywhere and listen to anything you have to say as long as there’s a point. This holds true in storytelling as well.

Why Too Much Description Actually Pushes Readers Out of Your Story

Too much description is problematic is because it signals a deeper issue within the framework of the story.

Authors must find the perfect balance of telling readers just enough for the story to make sense and come to life, without sharing so much that readers are crowded right out of the story.

Descriptions are best written as part of the action rather than as separate descriptive paragraphs. Tell the reader details that are important to the story. When indicating something about the character it should never slow the pace. If your descriptions are excessive cut them back by half without losing the descriptive magic.

 

Unleash the novel inside you

with compelling characters,

intricate worlds,

and fine-tuned prose.

“Linda has published twenty books. She blogs about the publishing world, posts useful tips on the challenges a writer faces, including marketing and promoting your work, how to build your online platform, how to get reviews and how to self-publish. She has mentored many authors and edited their work.” 

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